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April 15, 2008

There's No Waiting List for The Hermés Birkin Bag

The Hermés Birkin bag was named after British actress Jane Birkin in 1984 and has been sought after as a status symbol by women worldwide ever since. There is even a Sex And the City episode based on Samantha Jones trying desperately to bypass the two-year-plus waiting list by declaring the bag is for a celebrity client. A good plan considering Birkins are regularly spotted on the wrists of the famous, such as Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes, and "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria. But Samantha’s plan was quite unnecessary. Something I already suspected has been confirmed by Michael Tonello, a beautician turned fashion buyer in a recent Yahoo News article that advertises his new book, "Bringing Home the Birkin." Michael Tonello devised a system to bypass the list and has spent five years traveling between different Hermés stores purchasing Birkin bags to profit from its ridiculous demand and outing Hermés’ marketing ploy. “I would go into a store with a list in my Hermés Ulysse notebook and pile up scarves, shawls, bracelets, worth about $2,000. This made me seem a regular Hermés client," Tonello tells Reuters in a telephone interview. “Once I had that pile ready to buy at the last moment I'd ask for a Birkin and they would usually produce one of the back room. In 2005 I bought 130 Birkins in a three-month period -- and you tell me there is a waiting list?" In his book coming out this month, he says he still possesses receipts to back his story and a spokeswoman for Hermés in Australia, Nicole Morgan, said the company was making no official comment on Tonello's book. P.s. this bag is ugly.

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There's No Waiting List for The Hermés Birkin Bag

The Hermés Birkin bag was named after British actress Jane Birkin in 1984 and has been sought after as a status symbol by women worldwide ever since. There is even a Sex And the City episode based on Samantha Jones trying desperately to bypass the two-year-plus waiting list by declaring the bag is for a celebrity client. A good plan considering Birkins are regularly spotted on the wrists of the famous, such as Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes, and "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria. But Samantha’s plan was quite unnecessary. Something I already suspected has been confirmed by Michael Tonello, a beautician turned fashion buyer in a recent Yahoo News article that advertises his new book, "Bringing Home the Birkin." Michael Tonello devised a system to bypass the list and has spent five years traveling between different Hermés stores purchasing Birkin bags to profit from its ridiculous demand and outing Hermés’ marketing ploy. “I would go into a store with a list in my Hermés Ulysse notebook and pile up scarves, shawls, bracelets, worth about $2,000. This made me seem a regular Hermés client," Tonello tells Reuters in a telephone interview. “Once I had that pile ready to buy at the last moment I'd ask for a Birkin and they would usually produce one of the back room. In 2005 I bought 130 Birkins in a three-month period -- and you tell me there is a waiting list?" In his book coming out this month, he says he still possesses receipts to back his story and a spokeswoman for Hermés in Australia, Nicole Morgan, said the company was making no official comment on Tonello's book. P.s. this bag is ugly.

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